Pale Blue Dot
by mentalguru
Summary: AU to Phantom Planet. The world did not accept the ghost boy. Clockwork's POV, speaking to the reader. Kplus just in case. Very small, painless mentioning of DXS. Timely intelligence if you squint.


**Title: Pale Blue Dot**

**Summary: **_AU to Phantom Planet . The world did not accept the ghost-boy. Clockwork's POV. Speaking to the reader. One-shot. _

_--CW--_

"You should have warned him."

This is what the majority of people say whenever the ghost child is brought into the conversation, something many try to do on a regular basis. To which I give no reply at all.

Often satisfied that they have won the 'argument' the said ghost will usually fly away with either a frown of discontentment at what they perceive as a lack of concern on my part or a smile that shows that they believe they know better than I.

To be honest however there is no real argument. He would not have been better off. If he hadn't told them, the pain would have been even greater.

Few secrets ever stay hidden forever. If he had not revealed himself, he would have been caught eventually. His sister, perceptive and as intelligent as she is certainly did and I foresaw the variety of other ways he could have been found by the rest of his world. Found by his parents…

…

Even though I knew it would or at least, could happen I still feel disappointed at the parents' particular reaction. To turn on your own kin is supposed to be something of an abomination I believe, to most humans, and although I have never been mortal, I have found it is a sentiment I share.

Perhaps however the observors are right. I have been watching the ghostchild for so long that I have become too emotionally attached. Perhaps it would not have happened if he, his sister and friends weren't so terribly interesting. Particularly his sister, but I won't go too much into that.

He wouldn't survive without her I might add. His sister I mean. It is unlikely any of them would. And she is the only one of his blood who remained loyal. And although he'll never really admit it, he deeply respects her. I know.

His friends of course are also extremely important to him, and without them he would porbably not find the will to keep moving on. Particularly the girl, as brash as she sometimes is, she means well, in the grand scheme of things. Even the boy, as much as he craves to go home in his heart, and as angry as he feels at times towards his friend, cannot bring himself to leave him. None of them depart from him, even on this journey to no-where and back again. They rely on each other. Daniel Fenton has the powers to protect them, his sister and male friend have the wisdom and technical brains, the girl who he particularly cares for has certain instincts they could not do without.

All the same their lives are difficult. Six months have passed since the confession of his powers, and hence the world-wide ghost hunt beginning soon after. They forgot he had saved him, forgot it all, in their fear that he might abuse his power.

They, (those against him) say that such power corrupts. In truth, if you are able to use fear within others, you gain true power. But the people did not see that. A man would sell is very soul, is very freedom and all he had for safety, whether the threat is real or imaginary.

In the end, I believe they lost both.

The human world is now divided in yet another way, another crack is found within the so called unity they are supposed to share. There are countries, yes that would support him, but they lack the political clout or voice which can even much sway the leader of the anti-ghost propaganda, his own.

Ghosts are part of the unknown. That is enough to hate him. Even if he was only fourteen (now fifteen) when he told them. Even if he did so much good in their world.

Although there are those which are curious: the scientists, the philosophers, the inventors and artists, by and large the majority do not like the unknown. They'd rather not know. They'd rather not acknowledge that they exist on a very small planet in just one of an incalcuable amount of galaxies that there are always increasing in number. That there are even other dimensions, since the ghost zone has been globally realised is something many of them won't stand for.

Selective rationality is a vice many humans have. They can be perfectly intelligent and well adjusted people around most everyday things, but there can be just one thing in their life they will never question or try to too deeply prod. They fear of what they'll find, of opening the box. They become angry at those who wish to do so in a bizzare mix of jealousy, fear and concern. Afraid of what they may lose despite what they also stand to _gain_.

Humans are not alone. Not even in their small corner, now that the ghost world is realized to be true. They don't like it. They wish to be special, unique, and alone in a universe (apparently) made just for them.

They are wrong.

Just because you are not alone, it does not make you less intrinsic and important to the flow of time. You still have the same abilities you always had. It may be simply that you realize that what you _believed_ was wrong. That is not a bad thing.

Really, it is not. Embarrassing and even emotionally painful but it is certainly not bad. It is a transition. A transformation. A new way of looking at things. A chance to grow.

That is what has happened to the four. They needed this time, they needed this experience. So did the huntress need such time to think, so did the man I currently am staring at, now frozen, unaware of my presence in this pocket of stopped time.

I continue to take in his appearance. Such an ordeal he has also encountered in these past six months. Perhaps you would say he deserved it. Trying to gain all the power of their world, particularly in such a manner would probably not engage many people to sympathise with him.

Hidden in the ruins of his manor. Torn apart after the incident. Broken. Alone.

No-one comes here any more. Since the angry pillaging of this place those few months ago, no-one dares. It remains a scar on the landscape. Only the basement, hidden from the raiders, where he resides is still unscathed save for the layers of grime and trash strewn across the surface.

He is currently sleeping, although if I was to unfreeze time, no doubt he would know of my presence and awaken. He does not have a ghost sense, but more of a natural inkling of his surroundings that alerts him to everything around him. Particularly now in his near feral state.

The experience has not been kind. The past six months have aged his face by ten years. His spindly legs and bloated stomach are from such a prolonged period of starvation. He has no colour, save from a tinge of yellow upon his skin. He is more fragile even then the one who existed in the time line of his and Daniel's hybrid atrocity.

All he has had in the last few days was one bowl of cold tomato soup, and from the can at his feet, it is clear that it is licked clean.

If I don't do something, he will die. And he can't die. It is not his time. If it was I'd have brought my colleague.

The time instead is right for me to take him from this place. He has been humbled but is not completely broken. I feel only sorry that he had to endure this for such a long time, but believe me I would not wish this suffering on anyone, if it was not strictly necessary. Time is rarely fair.

Vladimir Masters. He rose to great heights only to fall. He became consumed by power in order to fill a void and had failed. If he had ruled the world, he would never have been happy. I know. For all he wanted was love which became an obsession, an almost impossible amount energy he sought to place elsewhere when he failed to obtain that first desire.

It will be with him that I will start the chain. It is with him that the plan rests.

For if he does not accept it, soon this small world, this pale blue dot, will burn.

--_CW_--

_**A/N**_: _Partial inspiration from Carl Sagan: Pale Blue Dot: Search on youtube!_

_Hope you enjoyed this. One-shot so this is completed for now. But it is something I may come back to at a later date._

_Guess who's Clockwork's 'collegue' is, who he didn't bring with him. Fairly obvious I guess. _

_Some Timely intelligence (CWxJazz) if you squint. I'm so weird._

_I didn't like Phantom Planet. But oh well- makes good fodder for AUs. Say what you will, but Tucker, a mayor? At FOURTEEN? I don't think so. Also there was no Clockwork and (Dan) Phantom. The former being my favourite ghost. I feel a bit cheated they weren't in PP. _

_On a random note: Congrats to the Americans on your Election. Hopefully Obama will be a good president._


End file.
